6 HUGE Misconceptions of MBTI

There are many misconceptions out there about MBTI and I would like to discuss 6 points that are commonly brought out by critics.

Misconception #1: The test is giving me different results, so the theory must be wrong.

Truth: The tests can be absolutely wrong. But just because the test can be wrong does not mean the theory is wrong!

There are 3 main reasons I can point to for why the test is flawed:

1. An MBTI type is not about your 4 individual letter results (I/E, S/N, T/F, J/P) but it is a comment on cognitive functions (more explanation of this in misconception #2). Basically, from the offset, the test is measuring the wrong standards for determining your personality type.
2. Your preferences can change. Some days you may feel more extroverted, so you end up becoming an unstoppable chatterbox. Other days, you may want to curl up in a ball and stay in bed forever. This does not mean you have become extroverted one day and introverted another. It merely means that your preferences has changed. Your type will remain consistent throughout your life.
3. You can also project how you believe yourself to be through the questions, rather than what you are. There is a lot of human bias that comes into play when you take these tests and you may really just be getting the wrong personality type results. My brother scored ISTP, when he was really an ISFP, while my sister scored INFJ when she was really an ISFJ. The tests are good for getting an approximation for what type you are, but it won’t always tell you what your real type is.

To figure out your type, you should indeed take the test, and then start reading descriptions of that type you were given and surrounding types. To figure out your type alone will require alot of honesty and introspection.

Misconception #2: I can have multiple personality types.

Truth: You cannot have multiple personality types. You may have read several descriptions and zoned down your possible personality type into 2 choices because they both sound similar to you but, rest assured, I have never met anyone who was not able to be typed with enough examination.

As I said earlier, an MBTI type is not about your 4 individual letter results (I/E, S/N, T/F, J/P) but it is a comment on cognitive functions. Each person has 4 primary cognitive functions, known as the dominant (1st), auxiliary (2nd), tertiary (3rd), inferior (4th) functions. Your personality type is basically determined by the order of your top 2 cognitive functions. A person with dominant introverted intuition and auxiliary extraverted thinking will be an INTJ, while a person with dominant extraverted thinking and auxiliary introverted intuition will be an ENTJ.

Another factor that also hugely influences the seeming image of multiple personality types, is the direction in which your MBTI type exerts itself through your individual Enneagram Type. For example, an INTJ with a 5w4 Enneagram will have more of a creative, open-ended, “arts”-focus, compared to an INTJ with a 5w6 Enneagram, who will be more prone to devoting their intellect to solving problems in a more practical manner. Therefore, it is essential that you learn your Enneagram type as well, as it will influence a decent share of your personality.

Misconception #3: I can change types.

Truth: You can’t change types but you can develop in an individual way as you grow older. Typically, especially in youth, your dominant (1st) and auxiliary (2nd) functions will make up most of your personality while your inferior function will operate in the background subconsciously influencing many of the irrationally needless aspects of yourself. As a person grows older, they will develop their functions in a more individual manner, which can cause them to seem like many different types but under it all, the person’s core personality is still there. If you don’t completely relate with your personality type, this may, in fact, be a sign of high individual growth.

Misconception #4: You can figure out someone’s type by looking at the letters.

Truth: So now that you know that the MBTI theory is not really based on the letters like the test would imply but rather on cognitive functions, it would make sense that you can’t accurately figure out someone’s MBTI type by solely looking at the letters. You need to examine and learn the person’s top two functions to figure out their personality type. An ESTP has Extraverted Feeling as their tertiary type, which can make theme seem like they  interact with the world on an emotional level but their priority of focus is dictated by their auxiliary (2nd) function, Introverted Thinking. So, you may see an ESTP schmoozing through a networking event but rest assured that they are using their introverted thinking to swindle everyone with their natural salesmanship.

Misconception #5: The descriptions I have read online does not sound entirely like me, so it must be wrong and believing in it is likely the result of a confirmation bias and/or the Barnum effect.

Truth: Well for starters, I should explain what confirmation bias and Barnum effect is. If you’re already informed on this, great! Click here to skip ahead.

Confirmation Bias: a tendency to search for or interpret information in a way that confirms one’s preconceptions, leading to statistical errors.

Barnum Effect: the tendency to accept certain information as true, such as character assessments or horoscopes, even when the information is so vague as to be worthless

So basically confirmation bias and Barnum effect means that if you want to believe something, you’re more likely to believe it.

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Alright, so you’ve taken the tests and the personality type descriptions do not completely describe you. For example, you may have scored ENTP, which some sites may label as the “debater” or the “lawyer”. And as an ENTP, you may not like confrontation at all! You could be completely amiable when dealing with people. The online descriptions that you will find are often stereotypes.

What MBTI attempts to describe are thought processes. Cognitive Functions are a more fundamental means of understanding the value of MBTI. Each personality types’ thought processes are influenced by the order of their cognitive functions. If you feel that the online descriptions don’t fully describe you, that’s great, it means that you have likely tapped into the process of becoming your own person. However, what you should be paying special attention to is the cognitive thought processes associated with your MBTI type of interest. With enough introspection, you will be able to find enough “coincidental” patterns that go far beyond anything you could ever find in something with a real confirmation bias/Barnum effect like astrology.

Misconception #6: Your type defines who you are, or, limits the possibility of all you can be

Truth: You are not your type. The only way your individuality will be limited by knowing your type is if you let it. Knowing your personality type can help you reach within and understand what your most authentic self would look like, freeing you up to truly reach your full potential.
By understanding cognitive functions,  you will become more aware of your thought processes and how you operate. You will learn about your strengths and weaknesses, and the appropriate ways to capitalize on them. MBTI can be a useful framework to understand yourself. It can teach you a lot about yourself but it will not tell you everything about you.

Understanding MBTI will only limit you to the extent that you let it, and it can help you grow in the same extent that you allow it to as well.